CURRENT MISSION

To save and savour this beautiful complex world we live in!

ABOUT ME

I'm currently living with my husband in student dorms at the Desert Studies Institute, a tiny eco-academic community on the edge of a magnificent canyon in Negev/Naqab desert between Israel, Jordan and Egypt.

The Institute is world-renown for its work on hydrology, solar energy, desert agriculture, desert ecology, desert architecture and there are about 250 graduate students here from all over the world. We have a pub twice a week, beautiful hikes (to waterfalls etc) and mind-blowing stars. Not much else, though - which is exactly why we like it!

I'm working on a doctorate on climate change policy and work closely with my Palestinian and Jordanian neighbours on peace, justice and environmental issues.

By the way, its interesting that Couchsurfing insists that I come from a Palestinian village, Al- Jammama, that was "depopulated" by Israeli forces during the 1948 War. Actually that is west of Beer Sheva and we live about 60km south.

Here there are significant Nabatean and Byzantine ruins and the wadis have probably been terraced forever. You also can't fail to notice the numerous unrecognised Bedouin villages, which are appallingly denied basic services infrastructure by the Israeli government.

PHILOSOPHY

I dream of a day when there will be no borders and there will be only friendship and respect amongst all people.

I think the the first step towards peace and understanding is meeting people and starting a conversation. This is why I love the idea of couchsurfing, and why I also love hitching, youth hostels and public transport. There is so much more to understand of this beautiful complex world of ours.

"We carry a new world here, in our hearts. That world is growing this minute" Buenaventura Durruti

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've lived in various communities where friends have had couch-surfing guests, such as Kibbutz Lotan and the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. When we were living on Kibbutz Lotan, we had loads of guests, but mostly friends of friends.

Now we're living in a tiny flat and at the moment we don't have a couch, but would be happy to host you for coffee/ a drink if you are passing through. If you are stuck for a place to stay, you are also welcome to sleep on our balcony - its 25 degrees at night with no rain or humidity from May to October. We are Bedouin so will never turn anyone away..

Interests

Hiking
Yoga
Eating and cooking good vegetarian food
Gardening
Political activism
Writing love poetry to the desert
Swimming (especially in rivers)
Crocheting
Making herbal tinctures
Talking politics with non-dogmatic people
Howling at the moon
Knafe (and if you don't know what that is, you'll have to come visit).

• writing
• poetry
• architecture
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• coffee
• vegetarian
• yoga
• drinking
• pub crawls
• gardening
• politics
• socializing
• hiking
• surfing
• swimming
• agriculture
• ecology
• environmental studies
• rivers

Music, Movies, and Books

Desert Solitaire, Ed Abbey
Jitterbug Perfume, Tim Robbins
Red Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson
The Dispossessed, Ursula LeGuin
Anything by Haruki Murakame

Music - mostly bluegrass, Balkan, Irish Folk, Protest Folk, Middle Eastern music, electronica and ancient music e.g. David Rovics, Martha Tilson, Casey Neill, Seize the Day!, Yair Dalal, Shlomo Barr, Ehud Banai, Alison Krauss, Chava Alberstein Wissam Murad, Turab, Balkan Beatbox, Oy Division, Anouar Brahem, Arik Einstein, Be Good Tanyas, DJ Shantel, Gogol Bordello, Taraf de Haidouks, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Peg Millet, Hildegard Von Bingen, Soeur Marie Keyrouz ... oh and Stevie Wonder...

And my husband is a huge fan of renaissance polyphony and heavy metal, especially Iron Maiden :-)